Abstract
Three sets of zooplankton trawls with multiple nets were deployed in June 1990 within a deep (2000 m) scattering layer overlying the central hydrothermal vent field on the Endeavour segment of Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeast Pacific. Trawl data were collected concurrently with temperature, salinity, light attenuation and acoustic (150 kHz) backscatter profiles. We describe the composition, size distribution and biomass of zooplankton collected in the net samples, and compare biomass distributions with physical characteristics of the hydrothermal plume. The nine discrete trawl samples (1 mm mesh) contained zooplankton biomass of between 0.3 and 21 mg dry wt m-3 with the highest biomass samples coincident with large and positive (+20 dB) acoustic backscatter anomalies observed above the top of the hydrothermal plume. Lowest biomass samples were coincident with small, negative (-5 dB) backscatter anomalies within the core of the plume. Results suggest that the region within a hundred meters of the top of the plume was a zone of enhanced zooplankton concentration associated with nutrition enrichment related to the plume. In contrast, the plume core was a zone of faunal depletion, presumably linked to adverse plume chemistry. The species composition and size distribution profiles from net samples revealed that the epi-plume assemblage contained several trophic levels of bathypelagic fauna, but did not contain benthic larvae or vent-related benthopelagic fauna.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Angel, M. V., de Baker, A. C. (1982). Vertical distribution of the standing crop of plankton and micronekton at three stations in the Northeast Atlantic. Biol. Oceanogr. 2: 1–30
Baker, E. T., Massoth, G. J., Feely, R. A. (1987). Cataclysmic hydrothermal venting on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Nature, Lond. 329: 149–151
Berg, C. J., Van Dover, C. L. (1987). Benthopelagic macrozooplankton communities at and near deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific ocean and the Gulf of California. Deep-Sea Res. 34: 379–401
Bollens, S. M., Frost, B. W. (1989). Predator-induced diel vertical migration in a planktonic copepod. J. Plankton Res. 11: 1047–1065
Bray, J. R., Curtis, J. T. (1957). An ordination of the upland forest communities of southwestern Wisconsin. Ecol. Monogr. 27: 325–349
Cann, J., Strens, R. (1987). Venting events in hot water. Nature, Lond. 329: 104
Cowen, J. P., Massoth, G. J., Baker, E. T. (1986). Bacterial scavenging of Mn and Fe in a mid- to far-field hydrothermal particle plume. Nature, Lond. 322: 169–171
Ellis, D. V. (1987). Biomass loss in wet-preserved reference collections. Collection Forum 3 (1/2): 6–8
Feeley, R. A., Geiselman, T. L., Baker, E. T., Massoth, G. J. (1990). Distribution and composition of hydrothermal plume particles from the ASHES vent field at Axial volcano, Juan de Fuca Ridge. J. geophys. Res. 95: 12855–12873
Feeley, R. A., Massoth, G. J., Geiselman, T. L. (1992). Tracking the dispersal of hydrothermal plumes over the Juan de Fuca ridge using suspended matter chemistry. J. geophys. Res. (in press)
Flagg, C. N., Smith, S. L. (1989). On the use of the acoustic Doppler current profiler to measure zooplankton abundance. Deep-Sea Res. 36: 455–474
Gliwitz, J. Z. (1986). Predation and the evolution of vertical migration in zooplankton. Nature, Lond. 320: 746–747
Greene, C. H., Wiebe, P. H., Burczynski, J. (1989). Analyzing zooplankton size distributions using high-frequency sound. Limnol. Oceanogr. 34: 129–139
Holliday, D. V., Pieper, R. E. (1980). Volume scattering strengths and zooplankton distributions at acoustic frequencies between 0.5 and 3 MHz. J. acoust. Soc. Am. 67: 135–146
Karl, D. M., Knauer, G. A., Martin, J. H., Ward, B. B. (1984). Bacterial chemolithotrophy in the ocean is associated with sinking particles. Nature, Lond. 309: 54–56
Orr, M. H. (1981). Remote acoustic detection of zooplankton response to fluid processes, oceanographic instrumentation, and predators. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 38: 1096–1105
Pearre, S. Jr. (1979). Problems of detection and interpretation of vertical migration. J. Plankton Res. 1: 29–65
Roth, S. E., Dymond, J. (1989). Transport and settling of organic material in a deep-sea hydrothermal plume, evidence from particle flux measurements. Deep-Sea Res. 36: 1237–1254
Simard, Y., Mackas, D. L. (1989). Mesoscale aggregations of euphausiid sound scattering layers on the continental shelf of Vancouver Island. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 46: 1238–1249
Smith, K. L. (1982). Zooplankton of a bathyal benthic boundary layer: in-situ rates of oxygen consumption and ammonium excretion. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 461–471
Smith, K. L. (1985). Macrozooplankton of a deep sea hydrothermal vent: in situ rates of oxygen consumption. Limnol. Oceanogr. 30: 102–110
Sneath, P. H. A., Sokal, R. R. (1973). Numerical taxonomy: the principles and practice of numerical classification. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco
Thomson, R. E., Burd, B. J., Dolling, A. G., Gordon, R. L., Jamieson, G. S. (1992). The deep scattering layer associated with the Endeavour Ridge hydrothermal plume. Deep-Rea Res. 39: 55–73
Thomson, R. E., Gordon, R. L., Dolling, A. G. (1991). An intense acoustic scattering layer at the top of a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal plume. J. geophys. Res. 96: 4839–4844
Thomson, R. E., Gordon, R. L., Dymond, J. (1989). Acoustic doppler current profiler observations of a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal plume. J. geophys. Res. 94: 4709–4720
Thomson, R. E., Gordon, R. L., Gast, J. A. (1990). Reply to comment on “Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler observations of a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal plume” by D. R. Palmer and P. A. Rona. J. geophys. Res. 95: 5413–5415
Weikert, H., Trinkaus, S. (1990). Vertical mesozooplankton abundance and distribution in the deep Eastern Mediterranean Sea SE of Crete. J. Plankton Res. 12: 601–628
Wiebe, P. H., Copley, N., Van Dover, C., Tamse, A., Manrique, F. (1988). Deep-water zooplankton of the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent field. Deep-Sea Res. 35: 985–1013
Winn, C. D., Karl, D. M., Massoth, G. J. (1986). Microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal plumes. Nature, Lond. 320: 744–746
Wishner, K. F. (1980 a). Aspects of the community ecology of deep-sea, benthopelagic plankton, with special attention to gymnopleid copepods. Mar. Biol. 60: 179–187
Wishner, K. F. (1980 b). The biomass of the deep-sea benthopelagic plankton. Deep-Sea Res. 27A: 203–216
Wishner, K. F., Gowing, M. M. (1987). In situ filtering and ingestion rates of deep-sea benthic boundary-layer zooplankton in the Santa Catalina Basin. Mar. Biol. 94: 357–366
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by R. J. Thompson, St. John's
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burd, B.J., Thomson, R.E. & Jamieson, G.S. Composition of a deep scattering layer overlying a mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal plume. Marine Biology 113, 517–526 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349179
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349179